Download versions of Japanese software are available in large quantities these days from online software vendors that have sprung up all over the place. Not all publishers are on board, but many are.

I finally took the time to get a copy of my favorite Japanese OCR software, e.Typist 14.0. Rather than import it and pay shipping, I bought a copy from an online software site called Vector, downloaded it and registered it.

Here’s the deal: you can find some good software this way for cheap. It’s legal, and you save a ton on shipping. (You’ll still get crushed by exchange rates if you’re unlucky enough to use dollars, though.)

You have a translator app to turn it all into English? Well, will your translator website also translate the program for you as you run it? Probably not.

I’d say the only exceptions would be for things like games or Vocaloid soundbanks. Even then, installation is going to be painful at times, and a Japanese Vocaloid soundbank is really only useful if you’re going to use it for Japanese. Yes, there are people who can force them to do English, but English has many more sounds than the Japanese soundbanks have… and I’m digressing big time.

I really love e.Typist, by the way. It’s a great program for doing Japanese Language OCR.